Thank you to the vast number of people who came last night to support (or oppose) the formation of the Classical Charter School of the Finger Lakes. I thank all of you because our exceptional nation was founded upon differing opinions and great debates. Imagine what would happen if our founding fathers were fearful of offending each other? In my heart, I believe we will be able to work together to become another public school choice for those parents who decide that a wholly classical education is the right decision for their children. 

 

This Enewsletter will be sent out sporadically when I have an update about our school's progress. If you are not interested in receiving a regular charter school update from me, and only wanted the attached brochure, then please unsubscribe at the bottom of this email.

 

This school is not for everyone.  It is for those that recognize a need for change and want to make that choice for their children based on the school's differing operating philosophies, principles, curriculum and climate.  I hope we did a good job last night of portraying these unique points to you, even if some of it will be a work in progress as we move through Albany's timeline.   

 

We fielded the questions the best we could and I promised some feedback to a few of you so I kindly ask those few to reply back to this email.  I can then give you my findings on curriculum specifics, the science (creation vs. evolution) question and other Hillsdale College charter school data that you asked about that I couldn't answer last night.

Meeting Summary:

1. Brochure and petition distribution I'm getting emails from people who could not attend so I will leave the petition at the PCC (Phelps Community Center) the afternoon of Thursday, March 27th for a week or so for those of you who want to sign but couldn't come last night. If you live closer to Canandaigua, email me and I'll get the second one to you to sign. I need this to show Albany there is parent interest - it is not an enrollment form.  Those will be sent out later in the process and may be subject to an enrollment lottery. The brochure handed out is found below (both Jpeg and pdf versions) if you'd like to share.

 

2. Why the charter school? How are we different?

Parents just like myself have become increasingly concerned with the way education has changed.  This goes beyond Common Core issues (as I mentioned, the new school will have to administer the same state tests and align with Common Core STANDARDS but we will use our OWN CURRICULUM to meet those standards much like private schools do). New York State offers passionate parents, educators, etc the chance to "start over" with a clean slate by granting a charter to operate as a public school.  We plan to have a streamlined operating structure that isn't top heavy to focus on conveying a classical education to every child, regardless of socio-economic background, learning style or ability.  We're very fortunate and proud to be affiliated with Hillsdale College's Classical Charter School program. 

 

3. Meet the Board.

Yes, this concept started as an idea from a concerned mother (and former teacher).  But, many of you have come forward in support of this initiative and all board members have done the same, indicating a will to help in the formation of the school.  Each board member offers a skill set and/or attributes that will contribute to make this school the best it can be. I am a parent, a business owner, and a former teacher.  Adam Sanford is a Phelps parent and business owner whose children had successful experiences with a charter school in Georgia.  Sal Pitti is a financial planner and advisor and a community activist.  Jim Cheney is the Mayor of Phelps and a CPA with a keen interest in charter schools.  Frank Tischer is a retired school teacher (history and reading) who cares deeply about the education of local youth.  John Reitz (Palmyra) is a retired principal, educator, counselor and Hillsdale College graduate. Bob Mechur (attorney) could not attend. The board will be actively involved in the entire charter school start-up and continual operations and we plan on ongoing community involvement and communications.  Eventually, we will hire a principal and the principal will hire the teachers and staff. 

 

4. Albany 

Many what-if's were brought up last night.  Jim Cheney has studied the financial impact to the schools and this was presented to the group.  We are naturally not out to hurt the existing public schools and want to share services the best we can to lessen the impact of bringing this wonderful school to the area.  It is not as dire as many school officials feared and does not automatically mean an increase in school taxes.  In fact, the state provides a tiered state aid breakdown to give back 80% of state aid lost the first year, 60% the second and 40% the third.  Also, we are expecting a significant amount of homeschoolers to enroll in the school so this further eases the fiscal impact. As Jim pointed out, let's wait and see what Albany says about the school before we get ahead of ourselves.  The goal is to work together.  We expect to hear from Albany mid April.  Another parent pointed out that the reasoning behind the charter school isn't about the existing school or new school's monetary budget, but instead about the need for another choice for the children. 

 

Again, thank you for attending or for reading this summary. The brochure (jpeg and pdf version below) details the Classical Charter School of the Finger Lakes philosophy and mission. 

Print a PDF version here


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Please email me at [email protected] (or just reply to this email) with any questions or comments you may have about the school. Thank you again for your interest in the Classical Charter School of the Finger Lakes.

Donna Bennett

Founder

Classical Charter School of the Finger Lakes

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